Sleeper block for railway rails



Feb. 17, 1931. R. J. WELLS SLEEPER BLOCK FOR RAILWAY RAILS Filed Aug. 20. 1929 Patented Feb. 17, 1931 PATENT OFFICE RALPH J. WELLS, OF DAYTON, OHIO SLEEPER BLOCK FOR RAILWAY RAILS Application filed. August 20, 1929.

My invention relates to railway track construction, and more particularly'to a resilient sleeper block or rail support.

While the resilient support herein disclosed may be embodied in a cross tie for open track installation, it will be found most useful for urban track construction wherein it is the present engineering practice to embed the track structure in a solid continuous bed of concrete.

The present sleeper block consists of a body of resilient materialsuch as asphalt, or the like, confined within a closed housing capable of yielding against the resistance of the enclosed resilient body. In its primary form the block consists of a body of resilient material interposed between top and bottom plates which are held together by a peripheral rim or Wall flanged inwardly over the margins of both the plates to permanently confine the plates and body of cushion material. Otherwise the material may be confined within a container of yielding or flexible material having a slip cover, the walls of which are interlocked with those of the container either by being inwardly flanged under the bottom of the container, or by interlocking beads or other interconnection. Such flexible or yielding container filled with re silient material is embedded in a body of concrete and forms therein a rest for the track rail, which is secured thereto by bolts passing through the filled container and carrying rail clamps engaging the rail base.

The primary purpose of the present sleeper block is to aiford the necessary resiliency and to absorb shock and vibration, thereby not only preventing breakage and disintegration of the concrete road bed, but also increasing the ease of riding upon the track and relieving the railway equipment of shock and impact of the car wheels upon an unyielding track, which is detrimental to both the rolling stock and to the track itself.

The object of theinvention is to simplify the structure, as well as the means and mode of operation and installation of resilient track construction whereby such resilientsleepers will not only be cheapened in construction, 56 bu will be more eficient, in operation. capa- Serial No. 387,194.

ble of being easily and quickly installed by unskilled labor, of increased durability and wearing qualities, affording greater ease of riding, and unlikely to get out of repair.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compact, completely assembled resilient unit ready for installation.

A further object of the invention is to provide resilient shock absorbing means for protecting the concrete road bed against breakage and injury and to protect the rolling stock against the effects of shock and impact.

lVith the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof and the mode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein is shown the preferred, but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of a concrete road bed in which the present sleeper block has been embedded. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is across sectional view of a modification. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the filled sections of the flexible housing shown in Fig. 3 before interconnection. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a further modification.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

The present invention is afurther development and amplification of the inventions shown in my prior patents 1,528,999 of March 10, 1925, N0. 1,58%,056 of May 11, 1926, and No. 1,627,217 of May 3, 1927.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the track rail which may be of any desired type or cross sectional contour. The track rail is resiliently supported upon the sleeper block or rail rest forming the subject matter here of, which sleeper block and rail are permanently embedded in the concrete road bed 2.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the sleeper block comprises a body 3 of resilient material, which is preferably, although not necessarily, asphalt, rubber, or

composition, confined between bottom and top plates 4 and These plates 4 and 5 and the interposed stratum of resilient material 3 are permanently retained in assembled relation by inturning the marginal edges 6 of a peripheral wall 7 over the edges of the plates. The top plate 4 has been shown crowned or formen with deflected marginal areas to afford clearance for the rail 1 over the inturned flanges 6. The side wall 7 is initially formed with only its lower margin inturned. The bottom plate 5 inserted within the wall plate 7 forms a pan-like receptacle into which the resilientmaterial. 3 is introduced in a liquid or plastic condition. The top plate 4 is applied under pressure and the top margins 6 of the side walls are inturned over the top plate, thus completely inclosing the body 3 of resilient material. The assembly being effected under pressure, all lost motion or en essive play of the plates is eliminated, but the top plate 4 is free to yield against the tension of the resilient body 3 under impact or vibration of passing trafiic.

Such construction affords a compact, self contained and complete resilient unit capable of being handled without special care, shipped long distances and installed by unskilled labor without danger of disarrangement of the parts and without loss of any of the resilientmaterial. The assembly of the resilient body within a completely closed yielding housing at the place of manufacture insures uniformity and equal resistance of different units to the rail pressure.

Such sleeper blocks may be of any suitable size. They may be formed in long sections extending more or less continuously throughout the length of the rail. Ordinarily they are nearly square or are of a little greater extent in one direction than in the other and are located in spaced relation beneath the rail. Bolts 8 extending vertically through the yielding housing carry rail clamps 9 engaging the rail base to secure the rail in position.

While the housin is capable of yielding against the resistance of the enclosed body 3 to compensate for vibration and shock transmitted thereto through the rail it is held against distortion by the surrounding concrete.

lVhile the sleeper blocks may be detached from each other in the concrete bed, if desired they may be interconnected in pairs or in series by transverse or longitudinal tie bars as illustrated in the aforementioned patents. Such interconnecting structure forms no part per se of the present invention.

In lieu of the spaced plates 4 and 5 and interposed stratum 3 of resilient material, the latter may be enclosed in a flexible or yieiling casing or housing of sheet material as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. In such construction the housing is formed in two pan-like sections 10 and 11 telescopically coupled, one of which resembles a slip cover for the other. In the manufacture both pan-likesections are partially filled with the resilient material. While the latter is in a plastic or semi-solid condition the sections of the housing are slidingly interengaged one over the other and are pressed together until the portions of resilient material 3 in each section are in close contact with each other. his assembly being effected underpressure insures the completed housing or casing being completely filled with resilient material. Attempts have been made to complete such a casing or housing before filling and to introduce the resilient material through an inlet orifice in liquid condition. In order to cause the material to flow it must be heated which results in expansion. Upon subsequent cooling the material co itracts leaving air pockets within the housing. This permits unequal and c2;- trcme yielding of the housing under pressure and does not properly support the rail.

By forming the housing or casing in separate sections, partially filling such sections with resilient material as illustrated in Fig. 4 and subsequently connecting the sections face to face as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5, the aforementioned difiiculties are avoided and uniformly tensioned units are assured. The projecting wall portions of the inner or enclosed section are embedded in the portion of the material 3 contained in the opposing section.

Various methods of securing the pan-like sections together may be employed. In Fig. 3 the overlapping side walls have been shown with the interlocking corrugations 12, while in Fig. 5 the margins of the walls of the outer or enclosing section are shown inwardly flanged at 13 over the face of the complementary section. Such interlocking coupling being effected while the sections are subject to pressure insures fully filled housings.

In order to distribute the rail pressure throughout a considerable area of the cushion unit, a bearing plate 14 is interposed between the rail 1 and the top wall of the flexible sheet material housing.

Attachment bolts 8 extending through the filled housing on opposite sides of the rail and rail clamps 9 carried thereby serve to secure the rail to the assembled cushion unit in the same manner as shown in Fig. 1. The housings illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 are to be embedded in a concrete body in the same relation as before described, and as illustrated in Fig. 1.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described, possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement 10:: Aha.

I claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails, comprising a body of resilient material and a yielding housing completely enclosing the resilient body and including inde pendent top and bottom walls and side walls interconnecting the top and bottom walls, said housing being intended to be embedded in a body of concrete with a railway rail resting thereon. V

2. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails, including a body of resilient material, a sectional housing therefor completely en- :n closing the resilient body comprising independent top and bottom portions and interlocking side walls connecting said portions, said housing being completely embedded in a body of concrete with a railway rail resting thereon.

3. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails, including a body of resilient material and a yielding housing completely enclosing the resilient body, said housing being formed in separate top and bottom portions and side walls connecting the portions one to the other with the resilient body interposed therebetween, said sleeper block being for embedment in a body of concrete with a railway 1 rail resting thereon.

4. The herein described method of constructing resilient sleeper blocks, consisting in forming two pan like containers, introducing a quantity of resilient material into each container, placing the containers one upon the other with their open sides contiguous, pressing the containers together until the portions of resilient material in the respective containers are in close contact with each other and interlocking the containers in such relation.

5. The herein described method of constructing resilient sleeper blocks consisting in forming-two receptacles of flexible material adapted to slide one Within the other, partially filling each container with resilient material, assembling the partially filled containers with the open faces contiguous and with the projecting side walls of the one container enclosing the projecting walls of the other container, pressing the containers together until the portions of resilient material are closely in contact with each other and locking the containers in such adjusted relation.

6. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails, including a receptacle, a body of resilient material therein, a separate cover for the receptacle and side walls on one of said receptacle parts having interlocking engagement with the other, said receptacle being yielding under pressure against the resistance of the body of resilient material.

7. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails including top and bottom plates, a body of resilient material interposed between the top and bottom plates, and an enclosing side wall band having its margins inturned over the top plate and beneath the bottom plate, thereby holding the said plates in assembled relation and completely enclosing the body of resilient material, against the tension of which the plates may yield under pressure.

8. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails including two pan-like sections of flexible material telescopically engaged with their open sides toward each other, the marginal edges of one pan-like section being in turned beneath the other section, and a body of resilient material enclosed within the telescopically connected sections against the resistance of which the said sections may yield under pressure.

9. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails including two pan-like sections of flexible material telescopically engaged with their open sides toward each other, the panlike sections being interlocked one with the other against separation, and a body of resilient material contained within the panlike sections against the resistance of which said sections may yield under pressure.

10. A resilient sleeper block for railway rails comprising a body of resilient material and a yielding enclosure therefor having marginally interconnected top and bottom walls completely enclosing and confining the body of resilient material against the inherent resiliency of which the enclosure Walls yield under pressure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of August, A. D. 1929.

RALPH J. WELLS. 

